Here's why good ideas are lousy ideas...

NO ONE WILL PAY ANY ATTENTION TO YOU.

That's the hurdle that makes good ideas LOUSY IDEAS.

Even if an idea is STUPENDOUS, you still must DELIVER the idea to the potential user of the idea (customer). Then the potential customer must see + UNDERSTAND to benefits of the idea. Then you must contact them SEVERAL TIMES before they will PAY ATTENTION to the incoming idea. Then there's the problem that ALMOST ALL PEOPLE have their "incoming new idea filter" set on ***KILL***, as the default setting.

PEOPLE (biz owners included -- maybe ESPECIALLY biz owners) just want to CRUISE ALONG, EXACTLY AS THEY ARE *ALREADY* DOING. They DO NOT want to know about ANY new incoming ideas.

IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE HOW GOOD OR BAD THE IDEA IS.
You will never get far enough to even EXPLAIN what the idea is!

So let's break that down, shall we?...

For each successful SALE of a new idea, you must...

Choose a niche, then...

Contact 1,000 people (because only 1 in 1,000 will see + UNDERSTAND the benefits of what you're offering).

Contact 10,000 people, because only 1 in 10 of the above people will actually buy.

Make 100,000 ATTEMPTS to contact people, because there's the additional hurdle that only 1 in 10 ATTEMPTS at contacting people (out of the blue) actually get LOOKED AT.

Even if you divide the aove numbers by 10 (because MAYBE the situation is TEN TIMES BETTER than what I've estimated), it is still DISMAL!

What's the best way to get people's attention?

Emails? Are you KIDDING ME?

Phone calls + direct mail, MAYBE.

That's why I seriously DOUBT claims from certain 'entrepreneurs' I keep hearing about. ESPECIALLY ones that claim they get results from GOING DOOR TO DOOR (b2b). Do you have ANY idea what the 'slam-the-door-in-your-f'ing-face' quotient is? (given the above stats).

yeah, right -- maybe if you live enough lifetimes to knock on 500,000 doors -- MAYBE.

It's all BOGUS, if you ask me.

You do all realize everyone's 'incoming new idea filter' really IS set on ***KILL*** as the default setting, right?

Therefore, good idea, bad idea -- doesn't matter. It's all instantly met with the EXACT SAME reaction... A barbed wire welcome mat.

Sandi -- sorry to be so negative.

-- TW

PS: I'm thinking in particular (but this all applies to all these *schemes*) of the motel channel guide thingy. Do you have any IDEA how many doors you'd have to knock on, before actually getting someone to sign up? It's incalcuable! First of all, the DECISION MAKER must be *IN* when you knock on the door (you have a better chance of being struck by lightning). Then, when you knock on that particular door the 12th time, and the owner IS there (jupiter alligned with mars), you must see if they will listen to your 'pitch.' Basically, you'd have "free HBO" tattooed BACKWARDS on your forehead because your head has hit the sign out front so often becuause you've been thrown out of the office so often! Biz owners DO NOT want to hear your (my) crap. They are doing JUST FINE as they are, thank you (even if they are NOT doing fine, they THINK they are doing fine).

PPS: Oh yeah -- I forgot to mention the above scenario is just the FIRST part of the scheme -- the EASY part -- the part where you are giving away something FOR FREE (the motels get the channel guides for free) -- *THEN* you must go on to the HARD PART -- pitching the idea to the pizza shops -- who must PAY YOU (actually write you a CHECK -- shock/horrors). Woo Hoo! The process (of banging on doors) starts ALL OVER AGAIN (with your tattered little list of pizza shops). Congratulations, Willie Lowman. I hope you have a good therapist.